Covington City Councilman Jerry Lee Coner, dogged by a residency complaint since taking office this month, on Wednesday switched his homestead exemption from his wife's house near Mandeville to the house he owns in his council district, authorities said.

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St. Tammany Parish Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core said Thursday that Coner visited her office Wednesday to move the exemption. Under Louisiana law, a married couple can take a homestead exemption on only one house, even if both persons own a house in their own name.

Coner was sworn to the District B council seat July 1. Shortly after taking office a constituent filed a formal challenge of his residency with the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney's office, spurring the required investigation.

A spokesman for District Attorney Walter Reed said Wednesday that the investigation was proceeding but had no details. The DA's office has not identified the person who filed the complaint.

After discovering that he and his wife had been improperly taking homestead exemptions on two homes, Coner on June 30 dropped the homestead exemption on his home at 752 N. Florida St. in Covington and kept the exemption on the home his wife owns at 67297 Locke St. near Mandeville, according to the Assessor's Office.

Core did not know why Coner switched it back on Wednesday.

Coner did not respond to a telephone message Thursday afternoon.

How the homestead exemption will factor into the investigation of whether Coner legally resides District B is unknown.

Coner has been dogged by allegations that he does not actually live in the Florida Street house. Former Covington Mayor Candace Watkins said recently that utilities records showed only a tiny amount of water consumption at the house, adding to the speculation that Coner did not live there.

This marks the second time Coner has been involved in a residency investigation. During the campaign last winter, Coner filed suit in state District Court to challenge the candidacy of one of his two opponents, Cliff Bergeron. Bergeron rented a home in District B but also claimed a homestead exemption on a house in Mandeville.

State District Judge William Burris ruled that while Bergeron lived in the district six months prior to qualifying -- per the requirement in the city charter -- he did not meet the residency requirement because he claimed the homestead exemption in Mandeville.

Bergeron, who no longer lives in Covington, has pushed for an investigation into Coner's residency status, but has said he is not the person who filed the complaint.

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Bob Warren can be reached at bwarren@timespicayune.com or 985.898.4832.